"It doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people
doesn't add up to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll
understand that. Now, now...Here's looking at you kid." - Humphrey
Bogart

Once or twice each day, I receive emails asking for more
information on the soy controversy.

The anti-soy geniuses claim that
soy consumption will turn men into girly-boys.

The anti-soy
intellects claim that soy will give you cancer of the thyroid, breast,
and superego.

The anti-soy whiz kids claim that the only safe diet
is Paleo, and people should drink raw milk and eat freshly killed animals
so that fresh blood will drip down faces rather than cooked gravy. Raw
meat is healthy, they claim, and the louder the moo, oink, and woof, the
better. Out, damned spot!

Their cry:

Broccoli is Hazardous to
Your Health. Soy is Hazardous to Your Health. Do you believe such
nonsense?

Soy is bad for you because it contains phytoestrogens.
If you accept that, then you must also believe that broccoli is much
worse.

So too, for that matter, should you never again eat seeds,
whole grains, berries, fruit, vegetables, nuts, or sprouts.

Are
phytoestrogens in soy and broccoli really hazardous?

Despite the fact
that phytoestrogens (plant estrogens) are not steroids like human
estrogen, there are those who would have you induce vomiting if ever you
swallowed a soy product containing isoflavones. My advice to you is to
not swallow their illogical line of reasoning.

For each milligram
of phytoestrogens that she eats from soy products, the average American
woman will also consume an additional four milligrams of phytoestrogens
from fruits and vegetables. Advice to abstain from phytoestrogens is
insanity, and Internet hype and hysteria has infected the good judgment
of numerous so-called health advocates. This includes many ignorant
physicians, who read one such article and assimilate just enough
information to offer erroneous and dangerous health advice to their
patients.

The only reason that phytoestrogens are considered to
be very dangerous is that the name sounds like estrogen, even though they
are not steroid hormones, and even though their mechanisms of action do
not mimic estrogen. Beware of phytoestrogens, you are told. Like the
"boogeyman," phytoestrogens in fruit and veggies are gonna get you
while you sleep.

A publication in the February 2004 issue of the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (R. Ziegler, 2004;79:183-4)
suggests that women who eat high levels of soy isoflavones have lower
rates of breast cancer than those who consume low levels of isoflavones.
Dr. Regina Ziegler is a researcher with the National Cancer
Institute. She has taught health and nutrition courses at Yale and
Harvard Universities. Ziegler writes:

"The daily intake of
phytoestrogens in white U.S women has been estimated to be <1 mg, with
80% from lignans, 20% from isoflavones, and <0.1 from coumestans."
According to Ziegler, an expert in her field, Americans eat four
times the amount of phytoestrogens in fruit and vegetables each and every
day as they do from soy products. Ziegler wrote:

"Historically,
breast cancer rates in the United States have been 4-7 times those in
Asia, whereas isoflavone intake in the United States is <1% that in Asian
populations."

You might consider contrary advice. An apple a day
does keep the doctor away because of those magical phytoestrogens. So too
do brown rice and almonds, broccoli, and fresh sprouts. Go heavy on the
soy.

Dead raw flesh and cooked animal parts should not be served
with body fluids from diseased animals. Every cell in your miraculous
body craves life, not death. Cells and enzymes from carrots and oranges.
Green plants containing chlorophyll, and calcium with magnesium in a
proportion that is efficiently utilized by the human body. A rose will
never become a dead chicken, even if it is so re-named. Neither would
a phytoestrogen become a steroid hormone, nor act like one.

"Denial is a common tactic that substitutes deliberate ignorance for
thoughtful planning." --Charles Tremper

The March 3, 2008 issue of
the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that women who consume soy
products have a lower risk of breast cancer than women who do not
eat soy.

Japanese scientists (Motoki Iwasaki, et. al.) measured
plasma blood levels of the most abundant protein in soy, genistein.
More than 24,000 women (ages 40-69) participated in this original
1995-2002 study. After an average 10-year follow up, 144 subjects
developed breast cancer. Plasma levels of genistein were again
measured.

Researcher's conclusion:

"We found a statistically
significant inverse association between plasma genistein and risk of
breast cancer."

In fact, the scientists found that the breast
cancer risk for those eating the greatest amount of soy products (those
with the highest level of genistein) was one-third of that for the group
with the lowest amount of genistein in their blood.

Unfortunately, the study included only 24,000 people, a tiny sample, and
lasted for only ten years, a very short amount of time, so isoflavone
critics will doubt the conclusion and continue their unsupported claim
that substances in soy, broccoli, and apples cause breast cancer. We
know better.

For those who echo soy, broccoli, and apple naysayers:
"We need more people speaking out. This country is not overrun with
rebels and free thinkers. It's overrun with sheep and conformists."
--Bill Maher

Dairy producers see soymilk as the new kid on the block
and they are running scared. Their strategy is to spread rumors about
soy because it contains phytates. Perish the thought, phytates? Quick,
induce vomiting. Call Poison Control. Where's the stomach pump?

By
the way--Wheaties cereal also contains phytates.

One bowl of Wheaties
(portion size is defined on the side of the box) is equal to: 3/4 cup of
cereal and 1/2 cup of milk.

The people who would prefer that you eat
raw milk and meat with saturated fat (the Neanderthals) are out there
bashing soy and grains. Beware!

If the soy naysayers are correct,
and if you enjoy a bowl of Wheaties for breakfast, that single portion of
cereal will contain more than 2.5 times the amount of phytates as will
the soymilk used to moisten the breakfast of champions.

Dr. Anthony
Mercola writes:

"Soybeans are high in phytic acid...It's a substance
that can block the uptake of essential minerals... Scientists are in
general agreement that grain- and legume-based diets high in phytates
contribute to widespread mineral deficiencies in third world countries.
Analysis shows that calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc are present in the
plant foods eaten in these areas, but the high phytate content of soy-
and grain-based diets prevents their absorption."

"Soybeans are also high in phytic acid or
phytates....which blocks the uptake of essential minerals-calcium,
magnesium, iron and especially zinc-in the intestinal tract. Scientists
are in general agreement that grain and legume based diets high in
phytates contribute to widespread mineral deficiencies in third world
countries. Analysis shows that calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc are
present in the plant foods eaten in these areas, but the high phytate
content of soy and rice based diets prevents their absorption."

A
website registered in New Zealand offers similar disinformation. Soy
Online Service (should be re-named Soy Offline Disservice). In a column
titled "SoyToxins," they write:

"There's plenty yet that you
didn't know about soy! Soy contains several naturally occurring compounds
that are toxic to humans and animals...soy toxins such as phytic
acid...have the ability to target specific organs, cells and enzyme
pathways and their effects can be devastating....As with any toxin there
will be a dose at which negative effects are not observed. Soy Online
Services have examined the scientific data on the soy toxins and have
uncovered several alarming truths...There is no legislation to protect
consumers from soy toxins in raw soy products...all soy products, no
matter how well treated, contain low to moderate levels of soy toxins;
processing cannot remove them all of any of them."

Since soymilk
is the bone of contention, I chose its phytate content to serve as a
baseline for comparison to wheat products.

Now,
let's get to the point of this. In their introduction and summary of the
scientific substantiation to follow, the authors of Food Phytates write:
"Recent investigations have focused on the beneficial effect of food
phytates, based upon their strong mineral-chelating property...The
beneficial effects include lowering of serum cholesterol and
triglycerides and protection against certain diseases such as
cardiovascular diseases, renal stone formation, and certain types of
cancers."

So you see, phytates are healthy for you. Phytates
represent a prime example of using food for medicine.

Of course,
if you happen to believe all of the negative soy hype, skip the Wheaties.
Skip the soymilk. You can always have a corn muffin, right? Let's go to
the phytate chart. What percentage of corn bread is phytates? Oh, no.
Corn muffins contain twelve times the amount of phytates as soymilk,
or 1.36%. An extra-large 6-ounce corn muffin (168 grams) contains 228
milligrams of phytates, midway between the (3/4 cup) Wheaties and (1/2
cup) soymilk.

So, take your pick. All of this negative soy rhetoric
is either A) serious stuff B) ridiculous propaganda originating from
the 'you know who' industry.